Ditching-machine



(No Model.) 2.Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. M. 8a A. J. FULLER.

- DITGHING MACHINE.

' No. 532,369. Patented Jan. 8, 1895.

wgylzsss: INVENTORSI (No Model.) 2 sheetssheet 2,

H. M. & A; J. FULLER. DITGHING MACHINE.

No. 532,369. PatentedJamB, 1895.

WITNESSES! I INVENTORSP' gra V or lowering the frames which carry the picks TATES ATENT Eros.

HERBERT M. FULLER AND ALLEN J, FULLER, OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.

DlTCHlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 532,369, dated January 8, 1 89 5.

Application filed September 25, 1894.. serial No. 524,053- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT M. FULLER and ALLEN J. FULLER, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ditching-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates'to improvements in ditching machines and the object of our invention is to furnish a machine for cutting and excavating the earth from and for forming the bottom of the ditch to any predetermined shape.

Our invention is particularly designed for excavating ditches of the kind and shape required for standard sewers.

Our machine consists of a truck furnished with wheels, preferably adapted to run upon rails upon the ground orupon trestles supported upon the ground, which carries a vertical frame the forward part of which is armed with picks or scrapers which are adapted to tear away the earth as the machine is advanced. The lower end of this frame is furnished with picks or scrapers of a form exactly or approximately of the desired form of the bottom of the ditch. Motion is imparted to the frame and the cutters carried thereby so that these latter may cut or scrape the earth away from the front of the ditch as the machine is advanced.-

In the rear of the pick carrying frame are a series of excavating and elevating buckets which are carried upon an endless belt and the shape of which conforms to the desired shape of the ditch and which are adapted to give to the ditch its final form. These buckets and the belts which carry them are also carried by a suitable frame carried by the truck.

Suitable mechanism is employed for driving the picks and the buckets and for raising and the buckets so as to dig ditches of different depths.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views, Figure 1, is a side elevation of our ditching machine; Fig. 2, a rear View; Fig. 3, a plan; Fig. 4, a diagrammatic view of the mechanism for driving the buckets, and Fig. 5 a diagrammatlc viewv of the mechanism for driving the picks or scrapers.

A is a truck frame; B, the wheels on which the truck is carried; 0, a frame carried by frame 0; H, a frame the upper and lower parts of which are carried by the cranks or pins E, G, on pulleys D, F.

I are picks or scrapers carried by forward part of frame H. These picks are arranged in rows which are placed one above the other as shown in Fig. 2, and are adapted tocut or scrape away the earth from the front of the ditch as the machine is advanced.

T, Fig. 1, are picks or scrapers upon the under part of the frame H which loosen the earth at the bottom of the ditch.

U, Fig. 1, is a slide or chute which catches and carries to the rear of the frame H a greater part of the earth loosened by the picks I.

J is a frame, situated in the rear of frame 0, the upper and lower ends of which are furnished with pulleys K, L, around which pass endless chain belts M which carry excavating and elevating buckets N several of which are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These buckets not only elevate the earth which has been loosened by the picks but also give to the bottom of the ditch its final shape. For the sake of clearness chains M are not shown in Fig. 2.

The frames H, J, carry guides O which can travel in and are held by guides P carried by frame A. The guides 0 may be secured to the guides P by bolts or nuts S, Fig 3, or by any other suitable means, and the guides O and the frames may be raised or lowered as may be required for ditches of different depths. t

The device isdriven by an engine, preferably carried by frame A, which is not shown, the power being transmitted from the engine to the machine preferably by chain belts.

' dis a driving pulley on the engine; b, a chain belt passing around and driven by pul- Icy-a; c, a pulley around which belt 6 passes and which is driven by this belt; d, a chain belt driven by a pulley 6, Figs. 2 and 3, which is fast to and driven by shaft of pulley c;f, an adjustable pulley carried by the frame of the machine around which belt d passes; 9, an idle pulley which guides belt d; h, a pulley fast to the shaft which carries pulleysK, K, on the upper end of frame J which carry and drive the chains M which carry the excavating buckets N.

The pulleyf may be moved'in or out as may be required in order to keep the chain dtight when the frame J, and the pulley it carried thereby, are raised or lowered to dig ditches of lesser or greater depths. In Fig. 4 the movements of these pulleys are shown by arrows.

Upon the opposite side of the machine is the mechanism for driving the picks or scrapers. It consists preferably of chains and pulleys driven from the same shaft that drives the belts and pulleys for actuatingthe buckets.

and around a pulley c; d, a chain belt which engages and is driven by a pulley 0 Fig. 2,

fast to the same shaft which carries pulley c. The chain belt cl passes around a tension pulleyf', Fig. 5, thence to a guiding pulley g, Figs. 2 and 5, thence to and around a pulley h carried by frame J, thence to pulley c Upon the shaft of pulley h are two pulleys j and upon the upper end of frame 0 are two pulleys 7c. Belts Zpass around pulleys j and 7c and drives the latter upon the shaft of which are the pulleys D, Figs. 1 and 2, around which pass the belts R which drive pulleys F on the bottom of frame C and which, through pins E, G on pulleys D, F, impart a circular motion to the frame H and the picks carried thereby.

The tension pulley f may be moved in or out in order to adjust chain d as maybe required when the frame J which carries pulley h is raised or lowered to dig ditches of lesser or greater depths.

For the proper operation of the picks or scrapers it is necessary that they be driven in a reverse direction from that of the buckets. This is accomplished by driving the belt d from a pulley 0 fast to shaft of pulley c, the direction of movement of belts and pulleys being indicated by arrows in Fig. 5.

V, Fig. 1, are take ups carried by the upper ends of frames 0, J H by means of which the pulleys D, K and the bearings of pins E in frame H may be raised or lowered in order to adjust the tension of the belts M, B.

By elevating or depressing the rails upon which the wheels B which carry the truck run,

. the machine may be made to excavate on any desired grade line, and the depth of ditch may be varied by raising or lowering the frames 0, J, H as described above.

The proper shape for either egg or circular shaped sewers is obtained by the form of the lower cutters T on the frame H and by the form of the buckets the latter of which cut the earth from the sides and bottom of the ditch and give to the ditch its final form and at the same time also serve to raise the earth, which is discharged and carried off in a manner similar to that used generallyin machines of this class.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent I 1. In a ditching machine, in'combination, an upright frame, a series of picks or scrapers carried by and projecting beyond the front of said frame, means for imparting a circular vibratory movement to said frame and the picks or scrapers carried thereby, an upright frame in the rear of said pick carrying frame, pulleys upon said frame, endless belts passing around said pulleys, elevating buckets carried by said belts and means for driving said belts and for carrying said frames, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a ditching machine, in combination, an upright frame, a series of picks or scrapers carried by and projecting beyond the front of said frame, picks carried by the bottom of said frame, means for imparting a circular vibratory movement to said frame and picks or scrapers, an upright frame in the rear of said pick carrying frame, pulleys upon said frame, endless belts passing around said pulleys, elevating buckets carried by said belts, means for driving said belts and for carrying said frames and means substantially as set forth whereby said frames may be adjusted vertically.

' 3. In a ditching machine, in combination, a truck, an upright frame carried bysaid truck, picks or scrapers carrried by and projecting from the front of said frame, picks or scrapers carried by the under part of said frame, and means for imparting a circular vibratory movement to said frame and its connected parts.

4. The combination in a ditching machine of a truck, an upright frame carried by said truck, cutters carried by and projecting beyond the front of said frame, cutters projectin g downward from the bottom of said frame, means for imparting a circular vibratory motion to said frame and cutters, an. upright frame carried by said truck in the rearof said cutter carrying frame, pulleys on said frame, endless belts passing around said pulleys, buckets carried by saidbelts for carrying off the earth loosened by said cutters and for forming the bottom of the ditch to the desired form, and means for driving said belts and buckets, all substantially as and'for the purposes set forth.'

5. The combination in a ditching machine.

ing a circular vibratory motion to said frame earth to the rear of said frame, means for supporting said frame, means for imparting a circular motion to said frame and cutters, a series of elevating buckets adapted to raise the earth from the ditch and to form its bottom to the desired shape and means for supporting and for driving said buckets.

- HERBERT M. EULLER/ ALLEN J. FULLER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE W. CLEMENT, J 0s. MCKNIGHT. 

